I. Brief history of the birth
and disappearance of the Vasa warship

1. Overview

The Vasa sank within one nautical mile of the start of her maiden voyage in 1628 before she even
left the Stockholm archipelago. Anders Franzén had
already found some 17th century wooden ships, as his hobby and obsession was looking for old
wrecks. He was bent on finding Vasa and did. Franzén found her in 1956. Although she is now
housed on public exhibition, more than 30 years after she was initially brought up, and 95% of her
is original parts, some reconstruction work remains to be done.

This ship was not excavated first and then lifted out of the water, but the reverse (Saunders,
1962:14). She was lifted up from her claybed and moved in several steps to shallower locations
until she could be excavated in "dry-dock." This was possible only because the hull was in good
condition. The Baltic Sea is brackish water. It does not have a wood destroying organism called
Teredo navalis which is found in the oceans. Therefore timbers long sunken in the Baltic are
well preserved.

2. Historical background

A great Swedish king who ruled Scandinavia in the early 17th century had to have a fleet of
warships to patrol the Baltic and ordered 4 new galleons. One was to be the royal mighty battle
galleon called Vasa, greater than any ship ever built at that time. The king himself dictated the
Vasa's measurements and no one dared argue against him. It was of the type we call skeleton-build,
same build as e.g. the Sovereign of the Seas from 1637 (McGrail 1993:46).

It
had two gun decks and held 64 bronze cannons. Various woods were used but predominantly northern
oak – a very sturdy wood. It is said that a total of 40 acres (16 ha) of timber was used. Timbers
of the bow were steamed (to curve them) and fixed and the close-set ribs were clad with heavy
timber walls – a masterpiece of triple-laminated oaken walls 18" (46 cm) thick. A web of masts and
spars rose slowly. The top gallant on the main mast soared to 190 ft (57 m). The Vasa's rudder
stood over 30 feet tall (Almqvist 1990:6). Carvings were made separately in workshops. Later these
were attached on the bow and round the high stern castle. Stern ornaments (painted red, gold, blue)
were carved gods, demons, kings, knights, warriors, cherubs, mermaids, weird animal shapes – all
meant to scare the enemies and also symbolize power, courage and cruelty. The ship was painted in
colors of Baroque style. It took 3 steady years to build Vasa, turning her into a floating work of
art and a weapon of war.

Sweden had a great copper mountain, so copper was the raw material used for making bronze
cannons. All in all, the king had 256 cannons made for 4 ships! As a rich, powerful and mighty
monarch, "His" cannons bore the moulded letters G.A.R.S. for his Latinized name; Gustavus
Adolphus Rex Sueciae. The cannons were heavily reinforced at the breech and 64 weighed
approximately 100 tons. Vasa's ballast equalled 120 tons of stone. She carried additional weight of
cannon balls, gunpowder, ancillary firearms, food in casks, officers and a crew of 133 sailors.

Vasa
began her maiden voyage August 10, 1628, as documented from the city ship quay (Skeppsbron), and
there was a light breeze from the southwest. She couldn't sail out right away. Her sails were not
up until Södermalm; the southern outskirts of the harbor. She had only sailed for less than a
nautical mile before capsizing. This is how it happened. There was a sudden squall, her gun ports
were still open having just fired farewell, and when she listed heavily to port, the gun ports sank
below water level and water gushed in. It took only a few moments for her to sink. (This is very
similar to what happened years earlier with the Mary Rose, an English
vessel, sunk in 1545.)

Vasa sank to 100 ft below the surface of the harbor and about 100 yards from the shore. Even
back then, the harbor was cold water but possibly clearer than now.

The first attempt at salvaging Vasa began shortly after the memorial service of her drowned
victims. Ian Bulmer, Royal Engineer from England, succeeded in setting Vasa on an even keel,
because her main mast stuck out of the water at an angle. His further efforts were unsuccessful.
Most of her carvings were wrenched off with grappling irons in other salvaging attempts and these
all sank into the mud. The ship settled deeper into mud and clay.

II. Recovery of cannons in 1664

In 1658, Hans Albrecht von Treileben went to Stockholm and presented his knowledge of using a
diving bell. But not until late 1663, did he obtain salvage rights and together with an another
German, the diver Andreas Peckell, they began hauling up cannons
from Vasa. A diver named James Maulde was the first to go down in the diving bell, but only to
survey, and he reported debris on deck, wooden carriages in "wild confusion" (Saunders 1962:30).
Between April 1664 and the end of that summer, every gun on upper deck had been brought up. The
next year, more cannons from lower deck were recovered, again using the diving bell. It was an
underwater feat of courage. Vasa was then left in peace and actually became forgotten with no trace
of her position nor name for centuries.

III. Anders Franzén and Per
Edvin Fälting – their roles

In
a small motor launch, Anders Franzén who was in his mid- twenties around 1950 began searching for
buried "treasure" from island to island in the archipelago outside Stockholm (the Venice of the
North). He spoke to fishermen, sailors, used sounding devices, and dragnets. He did find several
old wrecks of wooden ships. He theorized that the Baltic Sea did not have teredos worms (Teredo
navalis) which dig and eat into sunken wood and destroy it. He heard a fable about the Vasa from
his father. He began dedicating himself to years of research by studying old handwritten records in
old Swedish. He considered himself an amateur archaeologist and had a genuine love of marine
archaeology.

He found out that Vasa had sunk in calm, fresh-to-brackish water where the great lake of Mälaren
passes through Stockholm in "Beckholm's udden"(Saunders 1962:35). Using a core sampler, he
finally one day struck the Vasa with it and brought up a black oak core. It happened in August
1956. Shortly after, the Naval Diving School's divers were taken to the spot and Per Edvin Fälting,
the chief, went down first to claim it the possession of the Swedish crown. "She was upright,
but buried to her original water-line in mud and clay" (Saunders 1962:41). However, she lay
conveniently close to the naval dockyard.

A Vasa Committee was formed and decided to salvage her by raising her. Here was an entire
cross-section of life containing antiquities that had been preserved by the sea. She was also an
example of ship design that little was known about, and would therefore be of great value to
students of naval architecture. "The real signficance of the Vasa discovery lay in the fact that
no records of naval ship architecture exist from the first half of the seventeenth century"
(Saunders 1962:40). No drawings nor models existed prior to 1670.

IV. The salvaging operation

First,
all the objects that lay around the bow and stern in the mud along with many anchors and grapples
left behind from later people, had to be brought up and numbered, catalogued, washed and submerged
in tanks of water immediately. Each loose object, even pieces of broken timber, was placed in
tanks, huge wooden boxes used as tanks and even disused house tubs.

Five Navy divers began the hazardous work of 'drilling' tunnels beneath Vasa's keel. Six tunnels
had to be made, with the intention of stringing strong cables into these and then raising her up
with the help of two pontoons. It took almost a year to complete the six tunnels, three from each
side of the ship.

The two pontoons, once they had Vasa lifted out of the clay bed, swung her around, and headed
slowly to Kastellholmen where she was grounded in more sheltered water. Then she was moved again to
more shallow water but all the while remaining 50 feet below the surface of the water. She was not
ready to be raised out in one piece. The plan was to repair her underwater. Then float her up so
she could enter dock on her own keel (Saunders 1962:62).

Thus, thousands of oak pegs were used to plug up holes where iron nails used to be. Gun ports
were sealed up with wooden padded covers which were clamped by hook bolts. A wall of planks had to
be nailed onto the stern, and another wall round the upper part of the bow. All the main leaks were
sealed gradually (Saunders 1962: 62).

April
24, 1961, 9:03 am, the media recorded a piece of ancient black oak breaking the surface of the
water, followed by 2 rows of bulwark stanchions. The damaged super-structure had finally come into
view. The threesome flotilla was moved to shallower water where Swedish-invented B-200L submersible
equipment was deployed to pump out water from Vasa's hull faster than water was leaking into her.
She began to rise, after 333 years of submergence. Flygt submersible pumps kept her afloat in
harbor and sprayed her entirely with water for 2 weeks, 24 hrs a day, while underwater, frogmen
corked any more leaks. Vasa had to make the last 100 yards into a narrow dock afloat on her own
keel, as there was no room for the 2 pontoons. She was indeed afloat, if listing to port a bit and
was gently hauled in. "The 6 year long adventure of winning back the Vasa was over"
(Saunders 1962:70). Now the work of restoration and preservation could begin.

In an article by L'Hour (1993:320), both Vasa and Mary Rose are mentioned as examples of hulls
that have tolerated a temporary lifting and to quote L'Hour, "This type of operation does not pose
insurmountable technical problems."

The fact that the Vasa was pretty well preserved underwater allowed for her rescue. "Such
circumstances would include occasions when the ship became filled with water without suffering
structural damage, an unusual occurrence, but one which happened in a few famous cases, including
the Mary Rose and Wasa (sic), and the Royal George" (Muckelroy 1977:53).

17 June 1961 – the entire pontoon with Vasa in its center covered over by concrete frames left
Beckholm dock and slowly crossed the harbor water to reach a sheltered inlet near Skansen Park. And
the curious public was admitted to see her – this after years of following her discovery in the
news & media. (Saunders 1962:74).

V. Conservation and restoration process

The
reasons why the Vasa was in pretty good condition after 333 years underwater are (Barkman 1975:5) :

The ship was brand new at the time of sinking.

Salinity in Baltic Sea is 0.4% and shipworms do not thrive.

The water surrounding the Vasa contained no oxygen.

Neither ice nor currents had caused any damage.

An even water temperature between +1 to + 5 degrees C.

The ship was built chiefly of oak heartwood with a high iron content.

One of the first tasks facing the preservation dept. was to take charge of the innumerable finds
which the archaeologists had gathered together during the summer of 1961. The hull had to be kept
in the open during the whole of the summer and autumn of 1961 as the pontoon super-structure was
not yet ready (Barkman 1975:9).

1. List of objects

Already in February 1959, 4,000 objects from the Vasa were exhibited in the National Maritime
Museum. Some unusual finds are listed here.

Tail of the lion figurehead, the headrail with a figure of Triton, a carving of Hercules,
Cerberus the hell dog, enormous oak bracket which supported the bowsprit, knights and figurines.

A coat of arms with Vasa sheaf supported by cherubs (with red and gold leaf still intact on
the carved woodwork), lionhead masks from the gun-port lids, mermaids, carved heads and animals.

Six carved life size wooden angelic cherubs playing an instrument each and the seventh figure
was the devil holding his ears.

A keg of butter.

Beer barrels still containing fluid.

Brandy.

Silver coins from the 16th century as well as bronze coins.

The
ship's giant figurehead, the Vasa lion, was brought up in August of 1959. It was made of linden
wood, built in sections, deeply carved mane with gold leaf. It was very special and became the
mascot of the salvage project.

Perhaps all in all, over 100 tons of cargo and 120 tons of ballast (round stones) (Saunders
1962:73) were on board in the upper decks, lower gun deck, and the orlop deck, i.e., below gun
deck.

2. Personnel

At the preservation center, experts who were versed in modern methods of wood preservation were
employed even before the first piece of timber appeared above water (Saunders 1962).

Laboratory staff worked feverishly and received all sorts of good and bad advice on how to
preserve Vasa. A lot of microscopic work was done and had to be. Other personnel from government
research establishments, public institutions, and private companies joined in a cooperative effort
of preservation (Barkman 1975:11).

As mentioned earlier there were 120 tons of ballast and these round stones of 9-12 inches
diameter had to be removed using a conveyor belt. All the work was done under the spray of water
jets. Inside the ship, workers probed, sieved and washed finds (Saunders 1962:74).

The Vasa Committee realized that considerable restoration work would have to be carried out
after bringing her to the surface. A construction committee was set up. A special superstructure
pontoon was built and launched in 1961 – 60 yards long by 23 yards wide and 12 feet deep. Vasa was
upright on her great pontoon, with pre-stressed concrete framework. From the dry-dock she was moved
to Beckholmen shipyard where she could seen during parts of the summer of 1961. On this floating
pontoon, Vasa would be placed so archaeologists would investigate her and other dignitaries view
her. But the committee didn't know yet where she would be exhibited. Finally, Vasa's land home
became in a building on the same island as the famous Skansen Park.

4. Conservation and chemicals used

Exposed
timbers would quickly crack in sunlight and air so archaeologists had to prevent this urgently.
They wrapped beams and stanchions in plastic sheets. The king at that time, King Gustav VI Adolph,
was an archaeologist and prime supporter of the recovery program. Once the upper gun deck was
completely excavated then they gained access to the lower gun deck (or the dead men's deck). This
deck had a low ceiling and today's tall Swedes had to bend while working inside it. It was quite a
task to sort out particles of interest in the grim machinery of a fighting man-o'-war. There was
perhaps over a 100 tons of stuff, all covered in mud.

Basics of preservation: Metal can be treated with electrolysis. Wood, ivory, bone and leather:
these organic materials must always be stored wet. Wood and ivory can cause a problem due to the
size of the object, while most items of bone and leather are small. The age of wood can be
determined by dendrochronology and carbon-14. Wood is often preserved with polyethylene glycol
(Pearson 1977:43).

Early finds of leather artefacts from Vasa that were then impregnated with lanolin were found to
be greasy, smelly and brittle. Attempts to stabilize archaeological wet leathers in molten lanolin
have led to shrinkage and embrittlement, presumably because the deteriorated leathers' shrinkage
temperature was exceeded (Jenssen 1987:135).

Usually the first things to consider when selecting a proper conservation method for an object
is the type of material and its condition. With large waterlogged wooden objects, however, other
factors need to be considered such as technical and operational difficulties and the efficiency and
cost of certain conservation methods on an increased scale. Sometimes you can't do what is optimum,
due to practical obstacles.

In 1959 in Sweden the project to raise Vasa was under way, while in Denmark, Christensen had
begun to develop methods for treating the Skuldelev Viking ships.
Both projects had the effect of giving great impetus to the field of waterlogged wood conservation
and many new ideas and techniques emerged. In fact, the first two articles describing actual
procedures with polyethylene glycol (PEG) appeared at the
time of these two projects (Grattan and Clarke 1987:170).

Lars Barkman was given the task of developing treatment for the estimated 700mł waterlogged wood
of Vasa's hull and its contents. He recognized that separate approaches had to be derived for each.
Methyl cellulose was initially tried but did not work. Barkman had found by using PEG3350 that the
oak timbers from the Vasa received little or no impregnation to the interior and especially to the
heartwood. Then he used PEG1450, a lower molecular weight grade than PEG3350 (Grattan and Clarke
1987:170).

"A typical impregnation scheme adopted for Vasa objects was as follows. The vats were
filled with pure water and the temperature raised to 60°C. Two percent of a 7:3 mixture of boric
acid and sodium borate was added as fungicide, and the PEG concentration adjusted to 15%, during
the first 12 months it was increased at 1/12% per day and at the end of this period achieved
concentration of 45%. For the next five months concentration was increased at 1/5% per day and at
the end of this period had reached 90%. After treatment the finds were dried at 65-70% RH and the
wood surface sprayed with a 35% w/v solution of PEG. Drying took 6 months and the final content
of moisture was between 10 and 15% and of PEG about 40% by weight relative to the weight of wood.
The 7:3 mixture of boric acid and sodium borate was developed as a replacement for the sodium
pentachlorophenate employed by Morén and Centerwall. Elaborate pH control was no longer needed to
maintain the biocide in solution.

If starting concentration of PEG was too high, osmotic collapse took place. It was later
found that it was better to begin the impregnation at a concentration of 5% w/v rather than at 15
or 30% w/v to minimize the occurrence of osmotic collapse. It was also found unnecessary to
increase concentration of the PEG up to 100%, that is total 'dehydration' of the wood was not
required though on the whole the Vasa oak was in a very sound condition. (Grattan and Clarke
1987:164).

PEG of molecular weight less than 1450 was initially avoided because of the fear of
excessive hygroscopicity which would result in weeping of the treated wooden objects. However, by
1977 Barkman had revised his opinion since it had then been realized that provided that the
amount of PEG used was not excessive, hygroscopicity was not a problem; maximum PEG solution
strength could be as low as 45% w/v. In research devoted to development of a treatment method for
the hull of the Vasa, Barkman studied various forms of spraying or brushing on of PEG solutions
and looked at the relative effects of slow and rapid drying after PEG impregnation.

Very slow drying was found to give the best dimensional control. In further experiments it
was shown that best control over shrinkage and collapse was achieved with PEG600, followed by
PEG1450, which was better than PEG3350. This behavior was attributed to the better ability of the
lower molecular weight grades to bulk the cell wall. Later work has tended to confirm this."

Even as late as 1987, there was little comparative and reference material available on
conservation of ships hulls (Clark 1987:200). There are special problems with conserving large
items such as complete hulls which however rarely occurs. Two intact structures are the Vasa and
Mary Rose ships. Other large wooden objects can be represented by keelson, keel, frame elements,
planking and isolated timbers (Clark 1987:200).

Ships'
timbers on exposure to air must be kept wet if drying and distortion is to be avoided. Direct
wetting is required. And keeping the wood cool and dark is important. For the majority of large
wooden material, some form of water spray system is the most feasible and economic solution (Clark
1987:201). PEG impregnation is currently the most widely used conservation method for waterlogged
wood of all dimensions (Clark 1987:204). Surface application of PEG is done by hand-spraying or
brushing. PEG is non-toxic, needs no extensive safety measures, relatively cheap and available
worldwide. The disadvantage is that treatment takes a long time. The Vasa has been undergoing
treatment since 1962. The treatment time perhaps could have been shortened if the hull had been
completely enclosed and protected and the public not allowed access to view the ship (Clark
1987:205).

Lars Barkman presented the Forbes Prize lecture in 1975 in Stockholm. The topic was the
conservation of the Vasa warship, which he chose because he was in charge of this unique nautical
find and its preservation. The lecture included the obstacles he faced and what went on behind the
scenes.

Barkman began his task 1 May 1961. Barkman's first task was to set up a special department for
the preservation ahead and gather together the necessary equipment for the many loose finds as well
as the hull. So an advisory body called The Wasa Preservation Committee was formed to hold regular
meetings and come up with advice and ideas. Even before the Vasa was out of the water, a few
preservation techniques had been tried out on samples, and tests of the vessel's strength were done
to see if salvaging really was feasible. Initially there was more interest in the ship's structure
and archaeological aspects than on actual preservation. Many experts had differing opinions about
saving the hull of Vasa.

Concerning sample material, Pearson states it should be representative of the majority of the
surviving structure and subjected to physical and chemical analyses, moisture content
determinations and strength evaluations, as well as for trials to assess the suitability of
relevant conservation methods. Samples can be cores, complete timbers, or groups of timbers
(Pearson 1987:201).

The waterlogged timber hull of the Vasa is the largest of its kind ever recovered. Barkman wrote
that 90% of the wood is oak, with the rest of the wood being pine, spruce, linden, beech, alder,
willow, maple, ash, birch, walnut, pear and apple. Not all of the wood came from Swedish forests.
The surface layer of the oak wood had undergone a marked change in composition. But the interior of
the oak wood was fine.

The task ahead was to analyze the wood and work out the best possible way of treating it.
Surfaces of wood that had not been covered by clay, had been affected by corrosion to a depth of up
to one centimeter. Some surfaces, such as the upper portion of the decks and the whole of the lower
part of the hull, remained very hard and strong. It was found that some wood corrosion was caused
by a fungi called "soft rot" which can live underwater. Analysis of the oak revealed "black oak"
with a high iron content, and light-colored parts with far less iron content. Heartwood can't be
fed preserving agents by conventional preservation methods, whereas outer sapwood can. The sapwood
had a soggy consistency whereas by contrast heartwood of oak had retained 60% of its consistency
save for an outer layer of a few mm which had become heavily corroded.

The rate of desiccation – like the absorption of water – is highest along the grain, somewhat
lower radially, and least of all tangentially. The ratio is approx. 20:2:1. That is why all barrel
staves back in 1600's were cut with their short sides tangentially to prevent the fluid content to
leak out through the wood. [The reverse applies to shrinkage.]

By measuring deck beam points and deck planks running across the beam and comparing results, the
percentage of swelling in the hull was calculated to 1-2% only (Barkman 1975:8). This was proof
that the deck planks had been well seasoned before being installed in the Vasa and a sculpture was
found to have been plugged up with an extra piece of wood and one of the wales that had cracked had
been filled with oakum before the ship sank.
The loose finds (from summer 1961) were put into vats containing rot-preventive liquid. The hull
had to be sprayed with freshwater continuously while archaeologists wor ked
inside it. Seawater was used on the outside of the ship when neighboring households began
experiencing water shortage! Of interest is the fact that the average volume of water pumped
amounted to some 4,400 gallons (20,000 l) / minute. All this to prevent premature drying and
thoroughly clean the hull (Barkman 1975:9).

With winter approaching, there was fear that the hull would be subjected to immense stress and
strain if water in the timber and joints froze and expanded. Luckily, the pontoon superstructure
with air conditioning plant was ready at the end of 1961 (Barkman 1975:10). The huge hull of a
total surface of four acres was the largest wooden and organic find in the world to undergo
preservation treatment. It really presented a challenge to the laboratory staff because there was
no knowledge from previous cases.

The two most critical problems were rot and stabilization of dimension. There was no existing
composition to deal with these problems. A new one had to be made to order. "The diffusion method
was clearly the best. It uses substances which are soluble or which can be mixed with water and are
thus capable of penetrating the heartwood" (Barkman 1975:11).

Before actual preservation could begin on the hull, all impurities had to be removed like clay,
rust, iron sulphide. Then the decks were given a rough washing while simultaneous spraying was
done. This way most slime was flushed out. The spraying went on for 10 months, day and night.
However, to clean between trimmings and planking, special brushes 12 feet long had to be made.
Strakes had to even be removed and later replaced, to allow better access to clean.

PEG, which Morén and Centerwall had patented, was chosen as the most effective preservative. But
finding the right PEG solution wasn't so easy, and time was spent doing research on this until they
were forced to start up conservation treatment in April 1962. The hull had been cleaned by then. To
preserve it seemed like a technical and financial nightmare.

The preservative solution (which contained a mixture of boric acid and borax along with PEG) was
pumped from a 3,000 liter tank (called a farming unit) pneumatically through a pipeline with
outlets at 3 levels both inside and outside the hull (Barkman 1975 :13). Five men could spray the
hull completely in five hours. This treatment was done once a day until Feb. 1965 (!).

According to Barkman the main reasons were (1) to delay drying of the wood and maintain 95%
humidity and (2) to obtain maximum absorption of the preservative. This proved to be very costly.
(Barkman 1975:13). So to reduce cost and waste of PEG, a fully automatic spraying system was set up
under the hull in March 1965.

The pontoon superstructure which housed Vasa became too small and had to be lengthened at both
ends and even heightened in 1968. The cost of this job was paid for by the admittance fees charged
to the public who came to view the project. In the process of restructuring the pontoon a lot of
PEG went to waste. By early 1971 Barkman and his team found they could use PEG 600 with
satisfactory results and an increased level of absorption. Thus, while PEG was being absorbed, the
hull gradually dried out.

This section is taken from a Technical Report written by R. Morén and B. Centerwall (no date)
"MoDo AB Technical Information No.64". The use of polyglycols in the stabilizing and preservation
of wood.

In Morén and Centerwall's report under section B on page 11, "Waterlogged wood with a moisture
content of under 80%," the example of Vasa is given to illustrate that wood which has been found in
wet ground, at the bottom of lakes or seas and has been protected by layers of mud and slime
usually have a moisture content which is less than 80%. Many of Vasa's wooden sculptures have
already been preserved by the polyethylene glycol method. The wooden artefacts removed from the
wreck of Vasa had in general suffered severe disintegration on the surface only, while the inner
parts of the wood were in good condition. Thus, using a preserving-bath which contains 30%
polyglycol solution from the beginning of the preservation process is recommended for any wood with
moisture content below 80%. The rest of the procedure should follow the method described in section
A of MoDo's Technical Information #64. Morén and Centerwall introduced the polyglycol method of
stabilizing and preserving wood in 1952, before Vasa was found. One can treat the wood with a
solution, emulsion or a melt of a substance in the group of polyalkylene glycols and their ethers.
To preserve wood, one has to reduce the moisture content in the wood while substituting the water
(partially or completely) with a substance which prevents the damp from spreading. It is a good
idea to incorporate a disinfectant, or fungicide. For treating wood, polyethylene glycol is
preferred. It comes in different types and different average molecular weights ranging from as low
as 200 to as high as 6000 with the higher numbers being more solid, wax-like products. For treating
wood, 1000 or 4000 is very suitable and water-soluble.

MoDo's report explains that when objects are large, making a bath treatment impossible, a good
result can be obtained by painting or spraying with a weak solution of polyglycol. This was the
case with the Vasa's hull. At the same time, they stress that the painting or spraying method
should only be used when absolutely necessary, and under the most careful supervision.

"A suitable solution consists of 5 percent by weight of polyglycol 4000 dissolved in 40%
ethanol solution. The treatment should be repeated at short intervals so that the solvent never has
time to evaporate from the surface layer completely. At a later stage of the treatment, heat has to
be used to allow a sufficient quantity of polyglycol to penetrate into the wood and this is done by
using a hot-air fan or infra-red rays, to melt the polyglycol into the wood. If the heat treatment
is omitted, there is a grave risk that the water which is sealed up inside the object will dry out
without being replaced by polyglycol. This can cause a collapse of the cells, shrinkage, cracks,
and changes in dimensions, and the outer layer which has already been saturated with set polyglycol
may become loose and flake off" (Morén and Centerwall nd: page 13).

VI. Conclusion

The
aim of The Vasa Project is to present the ship in its original condition for public display. Most
of the Vasa ship underwent extensive preservation. The destroyed portions of the ship, the main
deck, the sterncastle, the bow of the ship and the fitments inside the ship had to be rebuilt. This
work was undertaken by ship technicians, shipwrights, and museum staff, using the original timbers
and parts of the structure. It was being restored in a similar manner to that of the warship
Elefanten, another Swedish wreck.

An update on the conservation stage of the Vasa ship reveals that 95 per cent of the ship today
(February 1997) is made up of original parts. The conservationists ceased spraying the Vasa hull in
1979. Towards the end, the time between spraying sessions was extended. During the 1980's, they
began to attach the loose parts such as sculptures and ornaments. Now during the 1990's, they have
restored one of the three masts. The next step is a reconstruction of Vasa's upper deck. Only
rarely, are fake parts used (pers. comm. Anderson, Vasamuseet).

Vasa has a permanent home on Skansen. This is an example of a monotheme museum that generates
profits through admissions, retail sales and even a restaurant. She is a national treasure and has
become a national monument (Cederlund 1977:95; Johnston 1993:59).

Q: How much do visitors to a marine park value an opportunity to see a historic
shipwreck there? (Hoagland 1992:15).

A: Salvaging some artifacts and placing them in museums or even selling in commercial
markets may enhance people's value or appreciation of history and the original shipwrecks.
Relocation of certain shipwrecks from their original sites to museums or marine parks may
potentially bring higher values to the society by providing wider exposures or recreational use
opportunities. A research to investigate specific characteristics of shipwrecks which are valued by
the public will offer very useful information for management decisions (Hoagland 1992:15).

Addendum A. Fact sheet

Facts about the VASA galleon/carvel/warship:

length of hull is 201 ft (61 m) or 228 ft (70 m) including bowsprit

length of hull in waterline 158 ft (47 m)

height of the aftercastle was 65 feet (20 m)

rudder was over 30 feet tall (9 m)

maximum beam was 38'4" (9,7 m)

draught to 15'5" (3,9 m)

64 cannons (48 were 24 lbs each)

displaced 1210 tons

2 masts square-rigged with main mast of 190 feet (58 m)

total surface area of 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2)

700-900 mł volume inside the hull

Addendum B. Objects recovered

Major objects:

anchors,
beer barrels still containing fluid,
bracket; enormous oak, which supported the bowsprit, brandy,
butter keg,
capstans,
carved heads and animals,
carved life size wooden angelic cherubs (6) all playing instruments and the 7th figure was the
devil holding his ears,
carving of Hercules,
Cerberus the hell dog,
coat of arms with Vasa emblem supported by cherubs (with red and gold leaf still intact on the
carved woodwork), deadeyes,
figurehead; ship's giant Vasa lion
headrail with a figure of Triton,
lionhead masks from the gun-port lids,
knights and figurines,
mermaids,
tail of the lion figurehead